Those Condemning State's Rights as "Racist" Should Read More and Talk Less

The  NPR guy who interviewed Tom Woods last week is not an anomaly. The first thing many of these MSM types think of when nullification is brought up is racism and Jim Crow. That's rather odd, given that no one is advocating nullification be used to strike down federal laws abolishing forced segregation. On the contrary, nullification would be used to abolish the failed War on Drugs, which -- in addition to sanctioning aggressive state violence -- is enforced in a ridiculously racist, anti-black manner.

Yet the race-baiters, most of whom are (of course) totally silent on the issues that actually oppress blacks, continue to throw false accusations at the state's rights movement. It's thus important to provide some historical context as well. Consider, for example, the noble history of northern citizens using state's rights to oppose slave-kidnapping.

Tom Woods on Nullification at CPAC 2010

Hat tip to Matt Holdridge of Campaign for Liberty.

Beltway Group Smears Tom Woods

Why does the establishmentarian group Think Progress feel the need to denounce libertarian Tom Woods as a "neoconfederate" and particularly "extreme" CPAC attendee? Because unlike the easy-ignorable actual hatemongers at the conference,  they feel threatened by Tom's  message.

They indeed should. More and more Americans are coming to realize that more aptly named "predator" drones, bigger military budgets, and war escalations does not constitute change. It doesn't matter whether a PC Democrat of the sort Think Progress favors is carrying it out.  Young people in particular couldn't care less about how PC the warmongering line has become, especially since the message of peace and liberty so well-articulated by heroes like Tom Woods is now a viable alternative.

Human beings -- who enjoy laughing, last time I checked -- will never adhere to the Dr.Phil-esque, wishy-washy, PC "standards" Think Progress is attempting to force on all of society. But even if we did, being PC doesn't excuse TP's favored politicians for the sin of killing innocent people. That Woods is so consistent in condemning both Republican and Democrat wars -- even when poor foreigners  totally ignored by the establishment are the primary victims -- tells you all you need to know about his character.

Tom Woods Denied by a University which Spent $35K on John Edwards

...and denied on the lame excuse that he doesn't have "sufficient academic credibility," of all things.  Maybe they're confused about which Tom Woods this is?  Because his academic credentials include undergrad at Harvard, a doctorate from Columbia, success on the New York Times bestseller list, and a position as Senior Scholar at the Mises Institute.  In short, Indiana University's refusal to support his visit to campus is based on an excuse which could be called "flimsy" only by someone more charitable than I.

As reported at CampusReform.org, the Indiana University Lectures Committee "spent $35,000 to bring John Edwards to campus and then quickly and affirmatively denied Woods (about $4,000) a platform."  John Edwards?  Seriously?  A disgraced politician who began his political career as an ambulance chaser and ended it with a long-denied extramarital affair?  That's who Indiana University was willing to pay ten times Tom Woods' speaking fee to host?

The story, originally written by a conservative/libertarian student newspaper at IU, was picked up by Campaign for Liberty this morning.  Two IU alumni have commented on Campus Reform, stating their outrage at what definitely appears to be a case of a public university blocking "appearances by scholars that don't share the same ideologies."  If you are a current student or alum of IU, please leave a comment on this or the Campus Reform post.  This support will help pressure the university to play fair and bring Tom Woods to campus. 

UPDATE:  If you can, please click below to donate to the YAL chapter on campus!  They're trying to bring Woods to campus with or without the support of the administration, and you can help pay his (very affordable) speaker fees.